CVS launches ‘Let’s Learn from Mistakes’
Clinical improvement campaign aims to improve patient safety and colleague wellbeing
CVS has launched a group-wide clinical improvement campaign to encourage colleagues to talk more openly about mistakes.
The aim is to improve psychological safety when things do not go to plan, to encourage teams to record incidents and conduct learning reviews, leading to improved patient safety and team wellbeing.
The campaign is led by CVS’ network of 360 Clinical Improvement Advocates. These colleagues are trained to support their practice with continuous clinical improvement.
Over the coming months, colleagues will hold interactive team meetings to explore adverse event case studies and the factors that contributed to them. These meetings are an opportunity for open conversations without fear of blame or judgement.
In addition, they will discuss resources including:
- A series of short films where senior colleagues share their experiences of adverse events and reflect on how the mistake was also an opportunity to learn.
- A guide to learning reviews - Colleagues are encouraged to complete a learning review after an adverse event and to record these on VetSafe, the Veterinary Defence Society’s confidential adverse event recording platform. VetSafe records are reviewed by the central Quality Improvement Team and analysed for trends, with learnings disseminated as appropriate.
Teams will also talk about how adverse events can be handled in a way that protects colleagues’ wellbeing, as colleagues involved in adverse events can suffer long-term effects, such as anxiety, depression, and loss of confidence.
Angela Rayner, Quality Improvement Director said:
“For learning purposes, what happened, not who did what, must be the focus. We hope to build upon the progress we have made so far, to continue to move conversations around mistakes forward and encourage our colleagues to view adverse events as an opportunity for learning and growth.”
CVS Group operates across small animal, farm animal, equine, laboratories and crematoria, with over 500 veterinary practices, referral centres and sites in the UK and Australia. In the last five years the company has invested nearly £80 million in its sites, facilities and equipment, in addition to industry leading training and support, to give the best possible care to animals.